Ed Pollock made an immediate impression on county debut. Replacing the out of form Ian Bell as opener in the Birmingham T20 side, Pollock thrashed a fearless 66 from 40 balls with a bat borrowed from Chris Woakes to not only inspire his side to victory over Derbyshire, but reinvigorate an ageing Warwickshire squad that had appeared to be stuck in the past, timid and fearful. With Pollock to the fore, Birmingham reached the final of the T20 competition - he made another eye-catching half-century in the semi-final - and provided some hope of better times to come amid a grim season.

Something of a late developer, Pollock had taken the scenic route into county cricket. After several years in the youth system at Worcestershire - he played for the county from U13 to U17 level and attended Royal Grammar School, Worcester before transferring to Shrewsbury School - Pollock played for Durham MCCU (he gained a degree in economics) and Minor Counties cricket for Herefordshire. Son of Angus Pollock, a Cambridge University seamer, and brother of Alasdair, a Cambridge MCCU seamer - "it was like having a permanent bowling machine at home," he said - he described himself as a "blocker" in his formative years, but suddenly discovered a more dynamic side to his game. He signed an Academy contract with Warwickshire at the start of 2016 and was drafted into the first team T20 squad the following year after impressing director of cricket, Ashley Giles, in a T20 warm-up match against Shropshire. He signed a new one-year contract at the end of the 2017 season.
George Dobell

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